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Review by LarryG
2½ stars out of 4
Magnolia is a long, awkward and ambitious movie. Writer/Director
Paul Thomas Anderson creates some poignant moments but takes too long
to get there. The movie is filled with big themes: forgiveness,
overcoming past traumas and whether love can conquer all. Much of
Magnolia feels like the downbeat second half of Anderson's last film,
Boogie Nights, with its relentless bad news for almost everyone
involved. But Magnolia rarely has the fun and energy Boogie Nights
had in its first hour.
Everyone in Magnolia is in pain. All that pain is just too much
after a while. Anderson is very intent on showing that no one is what
they seem. Everyone who seems to be doing well actually hides a past
tragedy. The fine character actor Philip Baker Hall plays a big TV
star, the host of the longest running game show of all time, who is
falling apart, first slowly then rapidly. Like the multimillionaire
played by Jason Robards, he's terminally ill and might also have a
secret shame. Everyone who seems screwed up actually has a really good
reason for being that way. The truly irritating drug addict played by
Melora Walters turns out to not only have an awful memory that
explains why she's messed up but actually has a heart of gold and can
charm John C. Reilly's ridiculously clueless cop.
Anderson did well in filling Magnolia with excellent actors. After
his uncomfortable performance in Eyes Wide Shut, it's good to see Tom
Cruise at his best, in a cocky mode. In his scenes as a motivational
speaker giving a room full of pathetic guys the confidence to hit on
women, Tom Cruise is electrifying. He's less affecting in the later
scenes where he has to show vulnerability. Julianne Moore has a few
stunningly real moments but she's generally handcuffed by her pathetic
character. She has one affecting scene where she's mortified when a
pharmacist, thinking she's a junkie, is unsure whether to fill her
prescription but it's hard to have much sympathy for someone who's
biggest problem is guilt about marrying someone for his money. Philip
Seymour Hoffman, so good as the obnoxious foppish wealth playboy in
Talented Mr. Ripley, isn't given much to work with, playing a likable
caretaker, like he did in Flawless.
Anderson tries to replicate the form Robert Altman used in
Nashville of multiple plot lines that come together. But not all of
Anderson's stories are interesting. The story of a brilliant young
repeat quiz show winner, apparently driven to keep winning to the
point of not having any other life, is sad but it doesn't have the
tragic proportions Anderson seems to suggest. The kid apparently has
been a willing participant. Only William H. Macy's portrayal makes you
care about the uninteresting character of a loser former kid quiz
champ. Macy's humanity, and rapport with Reilly's cop, even gives some
appeal to Magnolia's bizarre frog related climax.
Anderson says Magnolia was inspired by Aimee Mann's songs. Mann's
soundtrack is one of the best parts of the movie. While the songs and
the film share a sad, pained sensibility, Mann's songs about
characters haunted by their past are over in three minutes and they
have good melodies to soften their message. Anderson's movie stretches
over more than three hours and its tension and pain are almost
unrelenting.
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out of 4
